Gamescom 2013: Recapping EA’s Press Conference

Earlier today at its pre-Gamescom 2013 press conference, publisher Electronic Arts updated gamers on what to expect from the company’s big upcoming titles. EA showed off Sims 4 for the first time and shared new looks at Titanfall, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Battlefield 4, and more. Here’s a summary of what EA showed off.

Sims 4EA showed off a live-action trailer showing the Sims interacting with real people, perhaps conveying that the Sims’ enhanced emotion systems makes them more lifelike. This time around the Sims’ emotions will affect their actions. For example, a player can play a sorrowful violin song to make another character sad, which may stop him from flirting with someone. That character, in retaliation, can stab a voodoo doll to make the violinist furious. These emotions will influence how future events unfold, adding a new wrinkle to the Sims formula.

Command & ConquerVictory Games’ upcoming free-to-play entry in the popular RTS series looks like the frantic military action fans have come to expect. During an on screen competition, two developers directed waves of tanks and helicopters to attack one another. In the end a fleet of choppers made an assault on the rear of the competition’s base, destroying key buildings and laying waste to support units. On-stage commentators attempted to give some eSports excitement.

Dragon Age: InquisitionYou can find oodles of exclusive Dragon Age: Inquisition information in our cover story hub, but BioWare showed off a developer diary of the game during EA’s press conference. The video suggests that the team is interested in giving players difficult moral choices, NPCs to order around, and more open areas to explore.

Peggle 2Judging from the gameplay footage, this just looks like more Peggle. But more pachinko-inspired action is a good thing.

UFC 14Coming off the heels of Peggle 2, EA dramatically shifted tones with a look at UFC 14. A UFC announcer took to the stage to deliver an enthusiastic introduction of an EA and UFC representative. The two reaffirmed the global popularity of UFC and showed off some pre-alpha gameplay before the game ships next Spring. EA is improving facial animations and physics, creating a more realistic fighter.

Need for Speed: RivalsRacers and cops collide again in Need for Speed: Rivals, and EA showed off the game’s career options. Cops can go undercover, become aggressive enforcers, or try to control other cars. Players receive a Speedlist of objectives, complete them, and level up. Speed points can be put on the line after completing an objective to earn more by racing, or play it safe and bank them. The game is coming November 21.

TitanfallEA showed off more of Respawn’s upcoming multiplayer FPS, which seamlessly blends on-foot shooting with mech gameplay. A match begins in a busy littered with tall buildings and cherry blossom trees. A pilot leaps across buildings and takes out a Titan with a rocket launcher before kicking the ejected pilot off a building. The mayhem continues while a heated titan vs titan fight ensues, with the ejected pilot taking out the other titan from above. The presentation ends with a dramatic evacuation that requires some precise free running. Check out more on the game at our Titanfall cover story hub.

FIFA 14EA announced free-to-play FIFA games, one for mobile devices and another called FIFA World. The company also celebrated the excitement and legacy of Europe’s favorite sport in a hype-building trailer. A demo is on the way on September 10 and launches in the US on September 24. Players that aren’t ready to adopt the PS4 or Xbox One can transfer their FIFA process from the PS3 and 360 when they eventually get the systems. FIFA 14 legends also lets players bring in soccer legends like Pelé into modern games. Cooperative seasons are also in the works.

Battlefield 4A DICE dev took the stage to talk about EA’s upcoming entry in the military shooter series. A multiplayer beta is coming in October. EA boasted something it’s calling levolution, like flooding city streets and driving boats downtown, knocking down a huge skyscraper, or using vehicles as barricades. The company showed off a trailer of examples, including shutting an enemy in a train car with a live grenade and a battleship crashing through a dam. Battlefield 3 Premium offered paying players a service that gave them access to DLC and other content early, and Battlefield 4 will receive its own premium program. Battlefield 4 arrives October 29.

Like any good third-party publisher, EA dedicated its press conference to getting gamers excited for upcoming current- and next-generation games. While the press conference lacked truly exciting news, it helped remind us that we have great titles to look forward to like Titanfall, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, and Battlefield 4.